Emergency warning sign



April 14, 1959 E. C. HARRIS EMERGENCY WARNING SIGN Filed Sept. 14, 1956 INVENTOR. i Jim/Aka CfiQIRk S' Q BY v 9M, ,l M

.United States Patent EMERGENCY WARNING SIGN Edward 'C. Harris, Woodland Hills, Calif.

. Application September 14, 1956, Serial No. 610,008

' 1 Claim. (Cl. 88--79) The present invention relates generally to emergency warning signals and particularly to an expendible emergency warning sign that is collapsible for convenient storage until such time as its use is required.

It frequently happens that vehicles become stalled in positions dangerously close to moving traffic. This stalling may be due to engine failure, tire puncture, or the like, but whatever the cause, the disabled vehicle is a hazard to its occupants and to passing trafliic. Under these conditions, it is highly desirable to have warning signs strategically placed down the road from the disabled vehicle to warn oncoming traflrc of the hazard ahead. It is to be emphasized'that' the use of a large number of such signs is desirable to give an unmistakable warning, since a single sign of such size as to be conveniently carried in a passenger vehicle can be easily overlooked.

Collapsible signs have heretofore been devised and marketed, but do not have as wide an acceptance among drivers of passenger vehicles as is thought desirable by safety authorities. A single one of the prior devices may not be costly, but if such signs are purchased in sufficient quantity to be useful, they represent an investment that too few drivers are inclined to make for something they hope will never beused. ,When warning signs are used, they are positioned remotely from the disabled vehicle so that oncoming traflic will be warned in ample time to avoid the hazard. Consequently, the signs are likely to become ,lost'or damaged, even though not intended to be expendible. This factor also weighs against widespread purchase and use of the prior devices. A further disadvantage of the .prior devices lies in their bulk. One folded sign can be stored in the glove compartment of a car, but a suflicient number of them cannot.

An object of my invention is to provide an emergency warning sign that is collapsible to a very thin, fiat, closed condition whereby a large number of signs can be stored in the glove compartment of a car without interfering with its normal use for storage of other items. The sign is thus conveniently available for immediate use in an emergency, and it is of such construction that it can be quickly opened into a locked, erect position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sturdy, foldable emergency warning sign that is of such simple and practical construction that it is extremely inexpensive. By virtue of its low cost, the sign is expendible and the free and liberal use of a safe number of the signs is thereby encouraged.

A further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible emergency warning sign having light reflecting means to make is readily visible during darkness when exposed to the headlights of approaching vehicles. The sign is adapted to enclose these means when it is closed whereby damage thereto is prevented during storage of the sign.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment thereof and from the arr nexed drawings illustrating that embodiment in which:

onin. afflat d v pme t re FigureZ is a perspective view of the sign shown in Fig- .ure 1 in closed condition for storage;

,Fig ure,3 is a perspective view of the sign in partially unfolded condition toshow the relationship of its various sections and the methodof their connection; and

. Figure,4 is a perspective view of the sign in erect position as it appears in use.

In the drawings, the sign is designated generally by the numeral 10. The sign, 10 comprises a body member 12 to which a reflector 14 is affixed. Body 12 is made of a sheet of semi-rigid, foldablematerial, such as paperboard, and reflector 14 is preferably a paper-backed light-reflecting material fastened to the body by means of an adhesive or the like. However, as is apparent, the light-reflecting material can be applied directly to the body 12.

Specifically the body 12 is an elongate substantially rectangular member which has two parallel fold lines 16 and 18 extending transversely thereof. The fold lines 16 and 18 can best be seen in Figure 1 wherein it will be observed that they divide body 12 into a small end section or base 20, a center section 22 and a large end section 24. The center section 22 and large section 24 are of approximately the same length or area. Centrally located on one surfaceof centersection 22 is the reflector 14 which is a substantially rectangular piece of paper coated with a highly reflective substance such as that commercially available under the name Scotch Lite. The reflector 14 can also take the form of a warning legend such as the word Slow.

The closed condition of the sign 10 is shown in Figure 2. It will particularly be noted that the closed sign 10 is extremely flat and thin. Is should also be observed that the reflector 14is protected by virtue of having the small end section 20 and the largesection 24 folded thereover. This compact closed condition of the sign 10 is maintained by means formed integrally with the body 12.

.In the small-end section 20 adjacent the fold line 16 there is a transversely extending closing slit 26. Referring now to Figure 3, it will be seen that the closing slit 26 is adapted to receive a substantially wedge-shaped closing tab 28 that is formed in the outer end of the large end section 24. The closing tab 28 is defined by a converging pair of cuts 30 that extend to the outer end of the large end section 24. As Figure 3 clearly demonstrates, the small end section 20 is first folded along the line 16 over the reflector 14 and center section 22. The large end section 24 is then folded along the line 18 over the small end section 20. As is shown by the arrow 32, the closing tab 28 is inserted into the closing slit 26. Thereafter, the three body sections can be pressed together to assume the compact closed condition shown in Figure 2. It will be noted that in the closed condition, the sign 10 has no projecting portions which are likely to be torn.

The opened or erect position of sign 10 is shown in Figure 4-. In the erected position of the sign, the base section 20 and the large end section 24 have been folded away from the closed condition of Figure 2 to the oppo site side of the center section 24, thereby exposing the reflector 14. The sign 10, when erected, is of rigid triangular configuration and is stably maintained in this condition by means that are also formed integrally with the body member 12. As can best be seen in Figure l, the base section 20 has an integrally formed longitudinally extending continuation thereof which forms a spear tab 34. The spear tab 34 is adapted for registration with an opening slit 36. The opening slit 36 is formed in the closing tab 28 by a transversely extending cut. When the spear tab 34 is inserted into the opening slit 36, the sign can be placed on a ground surface in the manner shown in Figure 4.

Inasmuch as the sign is made of a fairly light material, on windy days it may be desirable to place a convenient weight 38, such as a stone, loose dirt, etc., on the base 20 in the manner shown in Figure 4, in order to prevent the sign from being blown away. Since sign a 10 is preferably made of a semi-rigid material, it will be found that the placement of a weight 38 therein on top of the base 20 will cause downward deflection of the base whereby an appreciable portion of the lower surface of said base will contact the ground. The stability of the sign under windy conditions is thereby greatly enhanced. As examination of Figure 4 will show, the sign 10 can also be placed on either of its sides to surround a weight 38, or even a post.

As will readily be understood, an emergency calling for the use of sign 10 may arise in either daylight or darkness. Accordingly, it'is preferable that the surface of body member 12 which carries reflector 14 be colored with a brilliant hue, such as red, which will attract attention from a long distance. As has already'been pointed out, if desired, this entire surface of body member 12 may be coated with a reflector material in lieu of the use of a separate reflector piece 14. When the sign 10 is folded, this brilliantly colored surface thereof and reflector 14 will be entirely closed and thus prevented from accumulating any dust or dirt which might injure its attention-attracting qualities.

Since the sign 10 is extremely compact and thin, a large number of such signs, for example, a dozen, can easily be banded together with a string or rubber band and placed in the glove compartment of a car Where they will be ready for immediate use. When the sign 10 is folded, the other or reverse side thereof, that is to say, the side which is exposed in closed condition, can bear advertising material or a safety message. Due to the extremely inexpensive nature of this construction, the sign 10 is particularly well adapted to be distributed gratis by any advertiser who may have an interest in motor vehicle safety, for example, oil companies, community safety councils, or the like. Directions for erection of these signs may also be imprinted on this reverse surface of body member 12.

When it is desired to use the sign 10, it is unfolded in the manner previously described until it assumes the condition shown in Figure 4. The signs 10 are then distributed along the roadway remotely from the disabled vehicle and towards the oncoming trafiic with the reflector 14 facing the traflic. Under conditions of darkness, the reflector 14 will reflect light from the headlamps of approaching vehicles.

Since the signs 10 may be obtained by a motorist gratis, or at a very reasonable cost, the widespread use of a number of them is encouraged, whereby ample warning of a stalled vehicle can be given to the oncoming traffic. The use of a large number of signs 10 is particularly 4 important in the daytime. During the daylight hours, the attraction-gaining quality of the signs 10 resides in their brilliant hue alone, and therefore it becomes particularly important to distribute a large number of these signs in full view of the oncoming traflic.

While there has been shown herein what is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made with respect to the foregoing description without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A warning sign comprising: a unitary body member that is made of a substantially rectangular sheet of a semi-rigid, foldable material having a rectangular center section, a rectangular end section of the same size as said center section, and a smaller rectangular end section, said sections being defined by a pair of parallel fold lines formed in the material of said body and extending transversely thereof, said smaller section at its free end being formed with an integral spear tab comprising a longitudinally central continuation of said smaller section, and a transversely-extending opening slit being formed in said larger section adjacent the free end thereof, said spear tab being insertable into said opening slit when said end sections are folded to the same side of said center section to maintain said sign in opened condition, the larger of said end sections being formed with a pair of generally longitudinally extending cuts adjacent opposite ends of said opening slit and convergingly opening into the free end of said larger section to define a wedge-like closing tab in which said opening slit is disposed flanked by adjacent free end portions of said larger section, said smaller section having a transverse closing slit formed therein adjacent one of said fold lines whereby the portion of said smaller section included between said one fold line and said closing slit is embraced between said closing tab and said flanking free end portions of said larger section when said closing tab is inserted into said closing slit whereby to maintain said sign in closed condition; and light reflecting means on said center section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 666,941 Streit Jan. 29, 1901 1,411,022 Heindenreich Mar. 28, 1922 1,629,670 Malme May 24, 1927 2,090,157 Smith Aug. 17, 1937 2,443,234 Ford June 15, 1948 2,630,641 Hessdoerfer Mar. 10, 1953 2,702,955 Oliver Mar. 1, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 141,677 Australia June 19, 1951 

